It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas

Someone, please pass me the smelling salts, because I about fainted dead away when I saw the response to my new pattern, the Bosc Hat. THANK YOU to everyone for the kind comments, and for making this pattern the #1 hottest pattern on Ravelry.com (holy mackerel!) for all day yesterday.

I'm sure that for many of the wonderful designers out there whose work I greatly admire, having their design on the top 20 patterns list is a ho-hum, all-in-a-day's-work kind of thing, but for me it was very exciting. 

And for those of you who've asked about the photo, well, this one was rather difficult, but the final shot of the gold hat was the result of me running back and forth from the camera to the exact pose spot 68 times while trying to maintain composure, hold completely still, not gasp for breath, and not mess up my hair (a monumental task in itself).

With the Christmas holiday upon us, I also wanted to share just a few seasonal ideas, like this rosemary tree. 

I've had this little tree for about 5 years now, having purchased it at the grocery store for only a few dollars thinking that even if it died, the dried herbs themselves would be worth the price.

But not only has it not died, it's grown about double in size and my husband has decreed that I am no longer allowed to pot it up larger lest it become too mammoth to be moved indoors for winter. Since he is the one who carries it in, to grow in a south-facing window with the aid of additional grow lights, I had to agree. :)  

The tiny glass bell ornaments are part of my favorite collection of vintage ornament shapes from the 1920's-1950's. They are just the right size for my little tree.

We also have a regular tree in the living room, complete with lights.

As a long-time sewing enthusiast, I have a small assortment of vintage household and sewing tools from my grandmothers, like the old folding yardsticks shown here. These jointed sticks are easily bent into fun shapes such as a star, shown single in the photo at the top of the post, or layered as seen below.

 

I love rooting around in drawers to see what I can 'find' to make use of without purchasing anything new.

Boxwood or other greenery is easily formed into a simple wreath and can be tied with a scrap of ribbon or as here, a length of burlap. 

For those who celebrate Hanukkah, I loved this local store display of plain white candles in unmatched glass containers, although the contemporary glass menorah/ hanukiah is quite lovely too.

The mirror placed underneath multiplies the effect of the candles and glass. This is such a pretty tabletop idea for anyone at anytime of the year.

I hope you find a few inspiring ideas here, I'm planning to do my wrapping and baking today and tomorrow, and will try to squeeze in another post before Sunday - we'll see. Happy knitting everyone!